Washing machine



April 14, 1942' J. w; CHAMBERLIN ET AL 2,279,556

WASHING MACHINE.

Filed Nov 21, 19558 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN M CHfl/VBER'l /N BY REX EHAL BHSJ'ETT, JR.

ATTORNEY.

April 14, 1942- ,.1. w. CHAMBERLIN ET AL 2,279,656

WASHING MACHINE Filed NOV. '21, 1,938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 WHSH HEHT F e a 3 r 0 r. /W// 6 f n J///\ v Z R I v a m M w m m m Wm WM n m LYVENTORS. JOHN W. CHHMBERLl/V REX 577R]. 555557 73 JR.

6' ATTORNEYS April 1942-' J. w. CHAMBERLIN E1 AL WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 21, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lll m aw wa R U Y OE E 5 E 0 WW n In A Wm x H WM Patented Apr. 14, 1942 WASHING MACHINE John W. Chamberlin and Rex Earl Bassett, Jr., South Bend, lnd., assignors to Bendix Home Appliances, Inc tion of Delaware South Bend, Ind., a corpora- Application November 21, 1938, Serial No. 241,614 6 Claims. v(Cl. 68-16) fect on some kinds of loads, especially those soiled by material which would be set or coagulated by immediate immersion in very hot water.

Another object of the invention is to interlock the control of the heating means with the other controls of the machine, so that '(for example) the heating means cannot be turned on unless the machine contains water and so that the heating means cannot be operated when the machine is in the drying phase of its cycle. I

The above andother objects -"and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the machine shown in the 8.0-

companying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the machine, in a plane passing through the axis of the tub and drum;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the machine from the rear, with the outer casing removed;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an electric heater element;

Figure 4 is a wiring diagram of the machine;

Figure 5 is an operating diagram thereof;

Figure 6 is a wiring diagram of an arrangement utilizing a gas burner as the heating medium; 1

Figure '7 is a section corresponding to part of Figure 1 butshowing the gas burner in place; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one form of gas burner.

The illustrated machine comprises a casing consisting of suitable top and front and side panels I and I2 and I4, removably mounted in any desired manner on a base various combinations of these panels may be made integral with each other, as for example the top panel I0 and one or more of the side panels I4.

As one convenient'and rigid mounting forthe tub and rotor parts described below, there may be secured to the rear of the base IS a triangular bracket l8 having itsperipheral portion of chan- IB. If desired nel section to provide stiffness and strength, and provided with a central plate portion or web 20, and which carries-a shaft bearing 22 at its apex. The base 16 also has secured to its forward portion one end of a second bracket 24 which has an inclined portion 26 leading to and through, and if desired rigidly secured-to, the plate 20 and which then extends upwardly at 28 to support a second shaft bearing 30 spaced rearwardly from and alined with the bearing 22. A vertical third bracket 32 is shown mounted at the front of the base. I

A cylindrical horizontal metal tub 34, covered with suitable heat and sound insulating material, is rigidly mounted between the brackets l8 and 32. Within the tub 34 is a rotatable perforated generally cylindrical drum or clothes container 38, formed with several baflles or inwardly-projecting ribs 4|], The head of the drum 38 is radially ribbed or otherwise formed to stiffen it, and is secured to a head or spider formed or keyed or otherwise secured on one end of a shaft 42 joumaled in the bearings 22 and 30.- A U-section stamping 43 may be welded to the upper ends of the two shaft-supporting brackets, to tie them together and to hold the bearings 22 and 30.

Between the bearings 22 and 30 the shaft 42 is provided with a pulley 44 for a v belt 45 passing over an idler pulley 48 adjustably mounted in a slot 50 in the plate portion and over a drive pulley 52 on the driven shaft, of a two-speed transmission 54 rigidly connected to and driven by a main motor 56.

The tub 34 has pivoted thereto a clothes door 58 having a latch 60, and which swings either down to a horizontal or vertical position when open, as shown in Figure 1. If means is provided for holding the door in a horizontal position, it forms a convenient support in front of the opening. The doorpreferably has its central portion made of glass, so that the washing action may readily be observed. .According to one feature of our invention, adjacent and preferably above the door 58 there is mounted a soap door 62,-through which soap powder or other detergent can be introduced while the machine is running and full of wash water, thereby permitting the operator to observe the formation of suds through the glazed door 58 and accurately control the amount of soap added. The door 62 is mounted on a bowed stamping 63 mounted on a pivot 65 inside the machine, so that it closes flush with the casing, and a bowed spring 61 acts on it in tension with a toggle action to hold it shut or open, according to whether the ends of the 20 of the first bracket,

spring are in a line on oneside or the other of the hinge 65.

Water, at the desired temperature, is introduced into the tub 34 through a hose connection 64, under the control of a valve 66 operated by a solenoid or the like 58, being injected into the tub through a nozzle 69 projecting through the frame ll of the door 58.

As hereinafter more fully explained, the water level in the tub is determined by including in the circuit of the solenoid 68 a switch 12, the one illustrated being a double-acting switch operated to open and close two circuits, as hereinafter described, at predetermined high and low water levels, by spaced stops on a rod 14 carried by a float 16 in a float chamber 18 communicating with the interior of the tub 34.

The water is preferably injected at a tempera-. ture (e. g. 110 F.) suitable for washing woolens and the like. Instead of'putting in hotter water in the first place when cotton materials are to be washed, we may iniect the water at the lower (110) temperature, and then heat it to raise the temperature (e. g. to around 160. F.) during the washing of the clothes. For example, an immersion heater, or an electric resistance heater, shown as a ring "surrounding the drain collar 8| at the bottom of the tub, may be provided. Preferably this heater is controlled by a switch 83 on the front panel I2. To inject the water at this predetermined temperature, the inlet line 64 may be connected to the outlet of a hot and cold water mixing device, which may if desired be constructed and arranged substantially as described in Patent No. 2,146,929, issued February 14, 1939, on application No. 72,312, filed April 2 1936, by Rex Earl Bassett, Jr.

The housing 18 of the float mechanism may be utilized as a breather, to maintain constant atmospheric pressure in the tub 34 even when scaled up with the machine running, and to that end is connected by means such as a conduit to a standpipe or the like H which contains suitable baflies to break up bubbles and prevent water splashing out through the conduit.

Woolen fabrics, and certain types of colored fabrics. are best washed at approximately 110 F., while for white and fast-color cotton fabrics the optimum temperature is 160 F. However, if cotton materials are placed in water at 110 F., and the temperature is increased gradually to 160 F., as explained above, the washing efliciency is some 18% higher than at a constant temperature of 160 F., and for this reason as previously explained we prefer to supply the water at 110 F. and heat it (when cotton materials are being washed) to the 160 F. range of temperature during the washing operation.

The drain collar 8| communicates, through a bailie SI which directs the water through a screen or strainer 92, with a sump 94 drained by a suitable drain conduit 95 controlled by a drain valve 96 operated by a solenoid 98. A removable cover Ill permits access to the screen 92 for cleaning D 'D It is desirable to drive the machine at a relatively low speed (e. g. 59 R. P. M. for a -inch drum 3!) to agitate the clothes in the suds to wash them, and after draining out the suds to operate the drum at this same speed to distribute the clothes uniformly about the periphcry of the drum, and then to drive the machine at a much higher speed to dry the clothes centrifugally at least sumciently to hang them out.

' control switch 83 is closed) It is for this purpose that the two-speed transmission is provided. The change-speed operator of the transmission is actuated by a solenoid lil (Figure 4), or an equivalent electrical control device, which when de-energized gives the lowspeed drive, and which when energized gives the high-speed drive.

The machine is operated in a predetermined washing-rinsing-drying cycle, under the control of a suitable timer switch driven by a small constant-speed motor 2 It, provided with a shaft having cams arranged to open and close a series of spring contacts I, 2, 3, and I.

The circuits controlled by this timer switch are shown in Figure 4, and the resulting operating cycle is diagrammed in Figure 5. It will be noted that contact I' controls a circuit the supplylines through the motors 56 and 2 in parallel, and that the circuit through the drain-controlling solenoid 98 is controlled only by the contact 3.

Contacts 2 and 4 control circuits for the change-speed means and the water inlet valve, which circuits are open when the float I6 is up and the switch 12 is in its lower position, and which circuits are closed at 12 (and therefore under the-control of the timer switch) when float 16 is down. When switch 12 is closed down the heater I9 is operative and when switch 12 is closed up the heater '!9 cannot be operated, as its circuit is open.

Thus it is not possible to open the water inlet valve or to drive the machine at high speed when the tub is full to a predetermined level, and at this time the heater is Operative (if the manual on the other hand the heater is inoperative if the water has been drained out of the machine.

One preferred cycle of operations is shown in Figure 5. The timer switch being started, first the machine fills with warm water while the operator adds soap flakes or the like, and the motor circuits are closed. Then in sequence follow tribute, extract to partial dryness, fill, rinse, drain, flush rinse, distribute, and final extraction, whereupon the machine automatically stops.

tinuation in part. However, our present invention are types of washing ticular machine various features of also useful in other machines, and while one parhas been d scribed herein, it

directly between casing. I83, illustrated as during washing) is a com.

is not therefore our intention to limit the scope of the invention to that particular machine, or

otherwise than by the terms of .the appended claims.

We claim;

1. A washing machine having means for heat ing water therein, means for driving the machine either at a high speed or at a low speed, and water level controlled means having one position when there is water in the machine and having another position when there is no water in the machine, a pair of electrical contacts operated by said water level controlled means in its first position to prevent driving the machine at its high speed and a pair of electrical. contacts opened by said water level controlled means in its second position to prevent the operation of the heating means.

2. A washing machine having a water inlet provided with a first electrical control device, a drain valve having a second electrical control device, means for operating the machine with a washing action or with a drying action and which has a third electrical control device, electrically controlled heating means, a cyclic timer switch having associated therewith circuits through said control devices and operative to cause the machine to operate in a predetermined cycle to wash and dry clothes or the like, an auxiliary circuit for the heating means, and a float-controlled switch operated when the water in said machine reaches a predetermined level to open said timer-switch circuits through the first and third control devices and close said auxiliary circuit rendering the heating means operative and operated when the water drains out of the machine to open said auxiliary circuit and to close said timer-switch circuits again, the timer-switch circuit through the second control device being independent of the float-controlled switch.

3. A washing machine having a water inlet provided with a first electrical control device, a

- drain valve having a second electrical control device, electrically controlled heating means, a cyclic timer switch having associated therewith circuits through said control devices andopenative to cause the machine to operate in a predetermined cycle, an auxiliary circuit for the heating means, and a float-controlled switch operated when the water in said machine reaches a predetermined level to open said timer-switch circuits through the first control device and close said auxiliary circuit rendering the heating means operative and operated when the water drains out of the machine to open said auxiliary circuit and to close said timer-switch circuit again, the timer-switch circuit through the second control device being independent of the float-controlled switch.

4. A washing machine having means for driving selectively at high or low speeds, a control device for said means having a circuit which is open during low speed drive and closed during high speed drive, heating means having a circuit, a float controlled by the liquid level in said machine, and means operated by said float for opening the first circuit when the machine contains liquid up to a predetermined level and for opening the heating means circuit when there is no 'liquid in the machine, so that the machine cannot be driven at high speed when there is liquid in the machineand the heating means cannot be operated unless there is liquid in the machine;

5. A washing machine having aburner for heating water therein and which burner has a control circuit including a device controlling the feeding of fuel and an igniter device, a float controlled by the liquid level in said machine, and means operated by said float for opening the heating means circuit when there is no liquid in the machine so that the heating means cannot be operated unless there is liquid in the machine.

6. A washing machine having means for driving selectively at high or low speeds, a control device for said means having a circuit whichis open during low speed drive and closed during high speed drive, heating means having a circuit,

' a float controlled by the liquid level in said machine, and means operated by said float for opening the first circuit when the machine contains liquid up to a predetermined level and for open-. ing the,heating means circuit when there is no liquidiii the machine, so that the machine cannot be driven at high speed when there is liquid in the machine and the heating means cannot be operated unless there is liquid in the machine, said heating means comprising a burner and the circuit therefor including a device controlling the feeding of fuel and an igniter device.

JOHN W. CHAMBERLIN. REX EARL BASSETI, JR. 

